Abstract

Most of the earlier observations on the bumper
catch of fishes of Mandapam area along the Palk Bay
were reccorded exclusively from the landings of machanised
trawlers. It was interesting to observe an unusually
heavy landings of the toli shad, Tenualosa toli
locally called 'Ullam' by the shoreseine units on
14-3-'97 from four landing centres along the Palk Bay
viz., DarhavalasI, Alagathanvalasai, Irumeni and Chokkapillalmadam.
In the first week of March' 97 the species
was sporadic In the shoreseine catches. Subsequent
week witnessed a steep increase in the landings
with the catch ranging between 1 to 3 tonnes per
shoreseine units.